Dear Success Seeker,

If you are reading this newsletter you almost certainly have a genuine desire to achieve more and reach more of your potential. Given that we are at the start of a new year I am going to share two powerful principles that can help you make 2015 your best year ever.

Let's start with bringing closure to 2014. As the New Year approaches most people start thinking about and planning for the year ahead. In doing so, they overlook a tremendous opportunity to increase their momentum and confidence. Before planning for 2015, one of the most important things you can do is take time to identify and celebrate the successes you had in 2014.

Reviewing the past year will give you a big picture perspective on the progress you made. You will likely find that you had forgotten or diminished many of your accomplishments and discover that you moved forward further than you realized. This awareness will inspire and energize you to be even more successful in 2015. Even more important is what I call the Transformation Factor. When you look at 2014 in the context of your successes instead of your failures and shortcomings, you start to see yourself as more successful. This is important because your self-image determines what actions you will take. And, of course, your actions determine the results you do or don't achieve.

When you review the past year you will likely find numerous achievements to celebrate. If you can't find a substantial list of successes, quit being so hard on yourself! Lower your standards and celebrate smaller wins! So the first step to making 2015 your best year ever is to review and celebrate your successes from 2014.

Now you are ready to focus on the year ahead. Many people set New Year's resolutions in January however in my experience they are next to useless. For one thing, resolutions are typically related to a single activity or habit. This narrow focus means they rarely have a significant impact on your most important goals. The other obvious problem with resolutions is that most people abandon them within a few days because they lack discipline or are not really committed to changing.

This year I suggest you take a more powerful approach by setting some goals for the year. Not too many. I would suggest a maximum of just three important goals for the entire year. Choose meaningful, big picture goals that will advance you towards the life you really want.

Now here's the most crucial part. For each of your annual goals, identify two or three specific components, steps or actions you will take in order to achieve the goal. Each component/step should advance you towards your goal and each should have a target completion date attached to it.

For example, if you have a health goal your three steps might be to sign up for a proven weight-loss program, track your calories and hire a trainer. If your goal is to achieve a certain level of sales in your business, the components might be to develop a written marketing plan, make a certain number of prospecting calls per week and hire administrative help to free up your time for selling.

The concept is that once you have identified the steps and actions necessary to achieve your goal, all you need to do is focus on implementing them by their target dates and your annual goal will almost certainly be achieved.

Of course knowing what to do is one thing and doing it is another. To support you in this process I have created a template for the exercises I have recommended. You can download it from our website free of charge at www.procoachsystem.com/annualreview. There is no need to provide your email address and downloads will not be tracked. This is my gift to you with my best wishes that 2015 is truly your best year ever!

Your Coach,

Andrew Barber-Starkey, Master Certified Coach
Founder and President, ProCoach Success System